The Australia Institute has welcomed the New South Wales Coalition Government's Electric Vehicle Strategy released today and called on the South Australian Government to show similar leadership in their State Budget on Tuesday.
Key points:
- Today the NSW Coalition Government announced an electric vehicle strategy that includes:
- $3,000 rebates on the purchase of 25,000 new EVs under $68,750,
- Exemption from stamp duty for EVs below $78,000 from September 2021 and all EVs from 2027,
- A deferral of their EV tax of 2.5c/km until 2027 or when EVs make up at least 30% of new car sales.
- The South Australian Government failed to gain support for an EV tax announced last year and is expected to release details of their new approach in the Budget on Tuesday.
"The New South Wales approach has shown other states, including South Australia, what a genuine electric vehicle strategy looks like," said Noah Schultz-Byard, South Australian Director at The Australia Institute.
"If South Australia were to follow New South Wales' lead and introduce a similar strategy it would reduce the upfront cost of a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq by around $5,000, to $44,000.
"New South Wales and Victoria both had intentions for an EV tax, but only New South Wales listened to industry and the experts and have now deferred their tax until later this decade.
"Purchase incentives, stamp duty exemptions, infrastructure investment and deferring an EV tax all show that the NSW Coalition Government understands that we need to transition our vehicle fleet to the clean, healthy technologies of the future. The only thing missing is a clear 2030 target for EV uptake, which should be at least 50% of new vehicle sales.
"The race is already on between jurisdictions like NSW and the ACT to become the hub of EVs in Australia. The question now is whether South Australia will follow the forward thinking strategy of New South Wales or make the same mistakes as Victoria."
